Can



H. SEBELL CAN Filed Jan. 16, 1947 e 2 7 7 5 H l 3 l 8 IO M [IL II I mm FIG. l

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FIG. 4

- INVENTOR. HARRY SEBELL W MvM ATTORNEYS Patented June 15, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE? CAN Harry Sebell, Newton Highlands, Mass., assignor to Bell Products Corporation, Boston, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application January 16, 1947, Serial No. 722,432

1 Claim.

This invention relates to cans or containers of the known type which are constructed to be opened by tearing out a tear-strip from the top portion of the can body thereby to separate the can end from the can body, and which are also so constructed that after the can has been opened, the can end may be replaced on the can body with a tight friction fit thereby sealing the can again.

Cans of this type are commonly made with a collar element located within the can body near the top with which the can end has the tight friction fit, and the operation of closing the can again, after it has once been opened, involves forcing the can end into the collar. Sometimes a person accomplishes this by pounding the can end with a hammer or other implement to force it into the collar, and sometimes a person may step on the can end to reseat it in the collar. Where undue force is employed in replacing the can cover, it sometimes happens that the collar becomes loosened from the side wall of the can, and if this occurs, it makes it impossible to properly seal the can again.

One of the objects of my present invention is to provide a novel construction by which the collar will be retained in its proper place notwithstanding any severe usage or undue pressure to which the can end may be subjected when reseating it in the collar.

In order to give an understanding of the invention, I have illustrated a selected embodiment thereof which will now be described after which the novel features will be pointed out in the appended claim.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 shows a can embodying my invention with the upper portion of the can in section.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view showing the top part of the can in side elevation.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view to better illustrate the construction of the collar element.

Fig. 4 is a section similar to Fig. l but showing the tear-strip removed and the can end open.

In the drawings l indicates the cam body, 2 is the can end and 3 indicates the collar element situated inside of the can body and with which the can end has a tight friction fit. The collar element 3 is formed from sheet metal which is bent to present the outer vertical cylindrical wall 4 which engages the inside face of the wall of the can body, the upper horizontal top wall 5, the vertical inner cylindrical wall 6, and the lower horizontal wall 1 which extends from the inner wall 6 to 2 the outer wall 4. The outer wall 4 is slightly longer than the inner wall 6 so that the lower edge 8 of the outer wall projects slightly below the horizontal wall 1.

The can body I is formed with a horizontal interior annular shoulder 9 on which the lower edge portion 8 of the vertical wall 4 of the collar rests. This shoulder may conveniently be formed by deforming the wall I of the can body to provide an interior bead I0 having a substantially horizontal upper face 9.

The can end 2 is of the usual type which is deformed to present the annular U-shaped portion II which presents a vertical cylindrical wall [2 that fits within the collar 3 with a tight friction fit. The peripheral edge of the can end extends outwardly and upwardly and is permanently secured to the top edge of the can body by any suitable means such as the lock seam it. The can body is provided with two score lines l4 and I5 forming between them a tear-strip It which may be torn out to open the can. The upper score line I4 is situated above the collar and preferably just below the bead l3, and the lower score line [5 is situated no higher than the top of the collar 3.

The score lines l4, 15 may extend entirely around the can, in which case when the tear-strip I6 is removed, the can end is entirely separated from the can body, or said score lines may extend nearly, but not entirely, around the can body as shown in Fig. 2 so that when the tear-strip it is removed, there will remain a hinge portion H by which the can end is hingedly connected. to the can body.

The provision of the substantially horizontal shoulder 9 and the relatively short extension 8 provides a collar construction which will retain its proper place within the can even though the can end is subjected to undue pressure or severe usage in the operation of reseating it in the collar to close the can after it has once been opened.

I claim:

A can comprising a can body, a collar element positioned within the can body near its top, said collar element being made of sheet metal bent to present an outer vertical cylindrical wall in engagement with the wall of the can body, a horizontal top wall, a vertical inner cylindrical wall parallel to but spaced from the outer cylindrical wall, and a lower wall extending from the lower edge of the inner wall to the outer .wall, said outer vertical wall extending a short distance below the said lower horizontal wall, said can body having a substantially horizontal interior annular 3 shoulder on which the vertical outer wall of the collar element rests, a can end member having its peripheral edge permanently secured to the top edge of the can body and presenting a vertical cylindrical wall which engages the entire surface of the inner wall of the collar element with a tight friction fit, said can body having two 4 parallel spaced score lines forming between them a tear-strip which can be torn out to open the can, the upper score line being located above the collar element and the lower score line being located no higher than the top of said collar element.

HARRY SEBELL. 

